The Glacier Dome above the Jumbo Valley of the Purcell Mountains near Panorama, B.CTed Rhodes

Handout photo of Jumbo Glacier west of Invermere. The B.C. government has approved the incorporation of the controversial Jumbo ski development as a mountain resort municipality.Dan Quinn handout
/ Vancouver Sun Files

An artist’s sketch of the proposed ski resort for the Jumbo valley in British Columbia. The B.C. government has approved the incorporation of the controversial Jumbo ski development as a mountain resort municipality.
/ Postmedia News Archive

A protest rally against the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort was held last week in Invermere, B.C.
/ Handout

Environmentalists and others are protesting against the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort in southeastern B.C.
/ Handout

There were seven large “Jumbo Wild” or “Grizzlies Not Greed” messages left throughout the valley for potential investors to see as they helicopter-toured the Jumbo ski resort area.
/ Handout

A 2004 artist's conception of what the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort could look like. The B.C. government has approved the incorporation of the controversial Jumbo ski development as a mountain resort municipality.Vancouver Sun
/ Jumbo handout

A protest rally against the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort was held last week in Invermere, B.C.
/ Handout

A protest rally against the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort was held last week in Invermere, B.C.
/ Handout

Some residents are protesting against the Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort in southeastern B.C.
/ Handout

Skiers on a heli-ski trip are dwarfed by the distant Glacier Dome of the Jumbo Valley, site of the proposed Jumbo ski resort near Panorama, B.C.Ted Rhodes
/ Calgary Herald

There were seven large “Jumbo Wild” or “Grizzlies Not Greed” messages left throughout the valley for potential investors to see as they helicopter-toured the Jumbo ski resort area.Patrick Bates
/ Handout

Related

VANCOUVER — The B.C. government has approved the incorporation of the Jumbo ski project as a mountain resort municipality, opening the way for a controversial new recreational development high in the wilderness of the Purcell Mountains.

Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Bill Bennett said Tuesday the designation sets up the civic framework for the development of a $450-million high-elevation ski resort. He also appointed a mayor and two councillors.

Bennett, the MLA for Kootenay East, acknowledged in a conference call that the development is controversial. The nearest municipality, Invermere, opposes the designation, calling it an undemocratic concept that may never grow enough to have an elected council, and the local First Nation also opposes it.

The Jumbo Resort Municipality is the province’s third resort municipality, after Whistler and Sun Peaks, but the only one to be created in a remote wilderness where nobody currently lives.

That could soon change, said Oberto Oberti, president of Glacier Resorts Ltd., the company that has been working for more than 20 years to create a new ski destination in the area. Oberti, an architect, said the first phase of the development — a $50-million investment in ski runs and infrastructure — could be completed on the 104-hectare site in time for the 2014 ski season.

“We finally have the vehicle whereby we can submit the drawings for a building permit,” he said.

The new municipality is at the foot of Jumbo Mountain and Jumbo Glacier, 53 kilometres west of Invermere on an abandoned sawmill site. It would provide access to four glaciers for year-round skiing at elevations reaching 3,400 metres.

The mayor, Greg Deck, and two councillors, Nancy Hugunin and Steve Ostrander, have been appointed for a term ending Nov. 30, 2014. Deck is a former mayor of Radium Hot Springs, which supports the project. The council’s first meeting is Feb. 19, 2013, and the province is providing $260,000 in funding for the fledgling municipality.

“We have an opportunity to have a ski resort created in British Columbia that will be unparalleled anywhere in North America. Guaranteed snow at Christmas. What other ski resort in North America can say that?” Bennett said of the project, which he personally supports for its job creation potential.

The resort municipality designation is the next step in the development process after the province approved Jumbo Glacier Resort’s master development agreement last March.

The project has been in various review processes for 22 years and has been politically divisive. Environmentalists say it threatens the grizzly bear population of the Purcell Range, as it would fragment their habitat. Robyn Duncan of the environmental group Wildsight says the region is core habitat for bears all along the spine of the Purcell Range, which forms the western flank of the Columbia Valley. She said she opposes the way the province has dealt with the development.

“Having the B.C. government hand-pick a council and create a municipality in the middle of wilderness changes the way democracy is done in British Columbia,” Duncan said.

The district of Invermere passed a resolution opposing the resort municipality, stating that it may never have a large enough permanent population for an elected council, remaining undemocratic and controlled by the province and the developer.

The Ktunaxa First Nation is also opposed. Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxa First Nation chairwoman, said the province has not listened to Ktunaxa concerns over the environment and over the special significance the mountain region holds for the First Nation.

“We have clearly and consistently indicated that if this resort is built, it will critically damage our religious rights and freedoms, as well as our aboriginal rights, all of which are recognized by the Canadian Constitution,” she said.

Bennett said the Regional District of East Kootenay requested the government create the resort municipality as a way of transferring jurisdiction away from the regional district, as many communities in the sprawling region do not support the plan.

“The regional district and local taxpayers would have been saddled with years of additional controversy, expense and uncertainty,” he said. “This will give our communities an opportunity to heal from this 22-year-old controversy and move on.”

Norm Macdonald, NDP MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke, said the NDP is opposed to the designation.

“We have been clear. It doesn’t make economic sense,” he said. The designation would make it more complicated to end the project, he said.

Macdonald said he believes there is no money and no investor behind the project.

Oberti, who is designing the ski development, disputed that but said he did not want to disclose the names of the investors because of the opposition the project has generated.

The $450-million resort proposal is planned in three phases. It is projected to provide 5,500 beds and approximately 3,750 person years of construction employment. The province estimates it will create and create 750 to 800 jobs.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

The mystery of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has captivated the world for more than four years, but for two retired Ottawa air accident investigators, it all comes down to six seconds. And the evidence from those final moments before the Boeing 777 disappeared into the Indian Ocean is irrefutable, say Larry Vance and Terry Heaslip. “We […]

At first she was tearful, then she was horrified. The young woman had just discovered a cellphone that was recording her as she took her clothes off in an Ottawa doctor’s examining room. Confronted, the doctor insisted that the video was for “training purposes” and deleted it in front of her. Incredulous, she refused to […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.